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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. vault — a safe
  9. present — a gift
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. tube — a container
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cell — a phone
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com